Summary
- Games like Burnout Paradise and Gothic reward aggression over kindness, making it essential for players to embrace the chaotic nature of gameplay.
- In titles like Bully and Cyberpunk 2077, being nice can put players at a disadvantage, requiring them to make pragmatic decisions instead.
- Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Witcher 3 emphasize that being too nice can lead to exploitation, urging players to find a balance between morality and self-preservation.
Most games don't exactly encourage players to be nice. Sure, some combat-heavy games feature non-lethal approaches, but it's hard to justify someone being nice when they're still beating enemies to a pulp and probably breaking a ton of bones in the process.
In games where chaos is so much fun, playing it safe for the sake of being nice might work against a player's enjoyment. They should accept that breaking the rules and being a bad guy is fun in these games since it's a part of a power fantasy where players can flex their skills and cause untold carnage and mayhem.
8 Burnout Paradise
There's No Point in Being Nice When Being Aggressive Against Racers is Encouraged
Burnout Paradise
- Released
- January 22, 2008
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Criterion Games
The Burnout games are all about dirty racing and taking down other racers to gain a higher score. So, it's easy to see why trying to be nice while engaging in illegal street races full of mayhem and destruction isn't the best way to go about things.
Instead, players should land the most creative takedowns and ensure that they remain in the lead by any means necessary. The amazing destruction physics and the scintillating arcade racing in Burnout Paradise mean that players won't feel too bad about smashing other racers to a pulp anytime soon.
7 Gothic
The Game is Already Hard Enough as is Without the Protagonist Being Exploited for Being Too Nice
Gothic
- Released
- November 23, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
Gothic is a game that will chew up and spit out any player who thinks that being honorable is the way to go. The weakest monsters in the game can overpower and kill players at low levels, forcing them to use sneaky, underhanded tactics to attain victory even after getting some moves under their belt.
In the camps, players might have to play it nice a few times, but doing it over and over again is not the best course of action to take. Instead, players must get strong and bully the bullies; otherwise, they'll become an easy and soft target to get some ore from over and over again.
6 Bully
A Rockstar Game Where Being Nice is What Causes Jimmy to Fall Down the Social Ladder
Bully
- Released
- October 17, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
The name Bully should make it clear that this game is not about being a nice, rule-following student. Jimmy is the nicest he can be with Gary, only to be double-crossed as he's utterly humiliated by a person he considered to be his friend.
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What follows is a tale of revenge as Jimmy strongarms the cliques of Bullworth Academy to support him, allowing him to get a shot at taking Gary down for humiliating him. Throughout this adventure, players are encouraged to skip school, get into fistfights, and engage in all manner of actions that would lead to anyone being labeled as a truant.
5 Grand Theft Auto 5
It's Not Fun to Try to Be a Good Guy in a Game About Crime and Violence
Grand Theft Auto 5
- Released
- September 17, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
No Grand Theft Auto game rewards kindness and being nice. The fifth mainline entry is no exception, with the trio of Franklin, Trevor, and Michael committing numerous crimes in a bid to become richer and more powerful than ever.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is at its very best when it shows terrible people being antagonistic towards each other. Trevor may be the most beloved character in the series, but that stems from the fact that he's rude to everyone and everything around him, with his wacky persona making him one of the best GTA protagonists of all time.
4 Cyberpunk 2077
Night City is Vicious and Will Eat V Up if They're Too Nice
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Publisher(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
V wants to become a legend in Night City, but this goal can't be achieved by being a goody-two-shoes. Instead, they must take part in numerous crimes and take actions that are pragmatic, even if they may not necessarily be nice.
It doesn't help that the lines between good and evil are blurred in most of the game's impactful stories. What may seem like a "nice" act for some people isn't how other people may perceive the same decision, highlighting just how brilliant and multifaceted the stories in Cyberpunk 2077 are.
3 Red Dead Redemption 2
Even With High Honor, Players Will Hate Abiding By the Law and Being a Good Person for Too Long
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
While playing with High Honor is certainly the best way to experience Arthur Morgan's story, that doesn't mean he should be a patron of justice at all times. In fact, being too nice will lead to Arthur being taken advantage of, with the nightmarish encounter at the Aberdeen Pig Farm being a glaring example.
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So, while it's completely fine to raise Arthur's Honor in the game, there's a limit to how nice players should be in the game. Robberies and going against the law are a huge part of what makes this game so much fun, and players will be missing out on some of Red Dead Redemption 2's best moments of emergent gameplay if they try to be nice all the time.
2 Disco Elysium
Harry Will Be Taken Advantage of if He's Too Nice and Forthcoming
Disco Elysium
- Released
- October 15, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- ZA/UM
- Publisher(s)
- ZA/UM
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The incredible worldbuilding of Disco Elysium ensures that fans will love what this story-driven CRPG brings to the table. Harry Du Bois is an excellent character who will leave a lasting impression on players courtesy of his own unraveling sanity.
While it's possible to be a nice guy in this game, players will find themselves in situations where they must humor racists and plead with annoying characters to get the thing they want. Some players may not like being so subservient to characters who are clearly taking advantage of Harry, which is why being a bad cop is useful to make substantial progress in the investigation from time to time.
1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Geralt Can't Be Too Nice in a Savage World Full of Opportunists
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Publisher(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The incredible writing of The Witcher 3 ensures that its writing never puts players in a black-or-white situation. Rather, the morals of the story are up to the player's interpretation, and there's nothing to be gained from being too nice to people.
Geralt is a witcher in a dark fantasy world that looks down on his kind, and players must ensure that some opportunists don't end up walking all over him. The rage players feel after being taken advantage of by characters like Keira and Dijkstra is something they can avoid by being smart instead of being a nice yes man who solves all of their problems without batting an eye.
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